Photo: Fredrika Stjärne
Discover Summer Entertaining Tips With Roman and Williams
Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams. Photo: Fredrika Stjärne
For Roman and Williams’ Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, summer entertaining in Montauk follows nature’s course.
As Told To Kelly Velocci
First Impressions: When guests arrive, we pour them a cocktail and walk them out to our circle garden, where we snip herbs to add into their drinks. It’s a sublime little moment of discovery that evokes their curiosity.
Relaxed Ambiance: We believe that beauty comes from imperfection and the unexpected. We would rather our guests arrive when things are still coming together—to be a part of the making, rather than having things perfectly in place beforehand. They wander with us around the garden to pick lettuces and tomatoes. After dinner, we often end up around the fire pit late into the evening. It’s not unusual to find a champagne glass in the ceramics studio the next morning.
Local Bounty: Produce comes from our garden. And Montauk has the best local fish—lobsters, oysters, tuna—that we get fresh from the docks early in the morning. Stephen takes the lead on cooking and grilling while I set the scene, designing the table and bar. Together, we create the atmosphere.
Garden Delights: Table florals always come from our garden, too. I love combining glass-bottle vases in varying sizes from our Roman and Williams Guild artisan Yoshihiro Nishiyama and filling them with Queen Anne’s lace, goldenrod, tardiva hydrangea or culinary flowers like fennel and cilantro that have gone to seed. The table becomes an imaginary meadow of wildflowers. —R.S.
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